Let's all forgive Bob Kraft

convertedpatsfan · Jul 30, 2015

I understand why people are still angry and upset. Maybe you don't forgive Kraft. Maybe you shouldn't. But you should give him at least a chance to make up for his mistake.

We expect perfection out of our leaders and it's just not realistic. But to his credit, Kraft has learned from some of his past mistakes. He butted heads early on with Parcells, but he learned from that and gave BB the freedom he needed to make this franchise great.

BB talks about it all the time, how it's not about being perfect, but not repeating mistakes. For some, this felt like a repeated mistake after Spygate. And maybe Kraft should have learned quicker than he did. But he has come around.

Maybe he'll never do enough to make up for his mistake. I understand that. But I don't understand how people could assume nothing he does will change their minds. The NFL is filled with stories of overcoming adversity, learning from mistakes, rising after falling. It's true for players like Chris Jones, who got called for that costly penalty on a FG that decided a game, then blocks a potential game-winning FG the next year against the same team. But it can also be true for coaches and owners and scouts as well.

Let's see what happens opening night and how the team responds on national TV. Let's see his role in Brady's lawsuit.

Kraft does not deserve automatic redemption after his press conference. But he deserves a chance.

SHOWTIME15 · Jul 30, 2015

ausbacker said:
I acknowledge that Kraft has extended the olive branch but if he wants true forgiveness, from me at least, Roger Goodell will be out of a job sooner than later.

Kraft won't be able to remove Goodell. Too many owners like the job he is doing. Jerry Jones came out yesterday and said Goodell was doing a fantastic job. Plus the other 31 owners don't care about the patriots.

UK_Pat37 · Jul 30, 2015

I personally don't see what there is to forgive here. He confirmed what those who logically used their brain thought; he acted in the hope that it would improve their relationship with the league and, in turn, hoped that this might make Brady's appeal process a lot smoother.

He has only ever acted with this team's best interests at heart. He did what he did genuinely believing it would help this team and if you doubt that then you're a fool. After all these years of criticising Belichick and Kraft for numerous things have you NOT LEARNED???

However, as he coneded, he was wrong to put his faith in a League that guy has poured his heart and soul in to...even whilst his wife was on her death bed. He was stabbed in the back by an owener who has now lost his biggest backer.

He manned up, admitted he was wrong and made a heart-felt apology for being wrong after being disowned by some fans; maybe those fans should also be man enough to say sorry.

What will now be interesting to see is what he does from here. I personally expect him to take the League for everything he can if Brady wins his appeal in Federal Court. I just read the filing to the Court in Minnesota and it makes for very interesting reading. Disgusting how the league abandoned all their own protocols in this investigation.

Ivan · Jul 30, 2015

flasox27 said:
Hyperbole yes but the parallels are apt down to the use of an innocent scapegoat to cover weakness, lying propaganda, and the failure of appeasement by a weak and duped leader.

I guess haters are just gonna hate...........

Ivan · Jul 30, 2015

ausbacker said:
I acknowledge that Kraft has extended the olive branch but if he wants true forgiveness, from me at least, Roger Goodell will be out of a job sooner than later.

I wish it were that simple. Kraft's best move right now is to stay quiet, never c support Gödel on any initiative, refuse to support the 18 game season or the team in London and slowly cull support from other disaffected owners until there is enough support to take Gödel down. If he wants to come to Foxborough then Kraft should agree him the MacNally Suite and a transistor radio to listen To the game from it.

TomPatriot · Jul 30, 2015

Ire and remorse, however genuine, are not enough. Repair is needed. What is he going to do about the Brady suspension and lost 1st round pick?

Answer: nothing.

Tunescribe · Jul 30, 2015

TheBostonStraggler said:
Keep in mind as you say this, Tom Brady admitted he made a counter proposal to the league regarding accepting reduced punishment. I assume the gist of his proposal was to accept no/vastly reduced suspension, a marked fine and some sort of de facto accepting of some level of improper action.
Why would Tom do that for something he appears to be innocent of?? Consider what if Goodell would have accepted Brady's proposal, Deflategate was now over, Tom accepted this fine (but no suspension), and accepted some level of improper behavior/guilt? Would you be as angry at Brady as you are Kraft considering they both have acted similar?

Again why was Brady completely willing to accept some level of punishment/guilt??? I think the answer is a simple one: Brady took stock of the reality of the cost, the difficulty going up against such a contractually/media/corporate powerhouse, the iffy chances of legally succeeding in his fight against Goliath - - - so Brady decided the best chance to end this and move on with as little pain as possible was to accept some level of punishment and guilt.
If all of that is true -- and sure seems to be -- why are you not upset at Brady too? Wasn't this counterprosal by Brady a similar act by Kraft?

Kraft acquiesced too easily. I completely agree on that. Brady was willing to acquiesce but much less easily (at minimum Kraft should have held out longer). Yet both men acquiesced because this was the simplest path to end this painful fiasco, and it appears they thought Goodell would act with some objectivity to end this amicably. Both men are foolish for having even slightly believed that (in the coming days I'll bet you hear the NFL nefariously use Brady's proposal to accept some punishment as another obvious indicator of his guilt). And it seems to me both men now calling out their legal dogs of war and public statements against Goodell have acted and are acting similar.

First- and fourth-round draft picks (plus the $1 million) is WAY too high a penalty for an innocent man/franchise to swallow just for the sake of expediency. Losing those picks is a significant setback for the entire team and, by extension, those who root for it.

I don't care how Kraft reasoned it out, you don't just accept someone throwing the book at you if you're innocent. This was a colossal mistake.

patman52 · Jul 30, 2015

What he did can not be forgiven. He chose his billionaire buddies over the fans. I don't buy the excuse that he did it to protect Brady. How the hell can he stand up there and say anything while the league still does not apologize for this witch hunt.

ausbacker · Jul 30, 2015

TommyBrady12 said:
Kraft won't be able to remove Goodell. Too many owners like the job he is doing. Jerry Jones came out yesterday and said Goodell was doing a fantastic job. Plus the other 31 owners don't care about the patriots.

That's why I included the specific words from me in my comment.

Ivan said:
I wish it were that simple. Kraft's best move right now is to stay quiet, never c support Gödel on any initiative, refuse to support the 18 game season or the team in London and slowly cull support from other disaffected owners until there is enough support to take Gödel down. If he wants to come to Foxborough then Kraft should agree him the MacNally Suite and a transistor radio to listen To the game from it.

My preference is the nuclear approach however, I'm open to the death by a thousand cuts approach.

PatsWickedPissah · Jul 30, 2015

Hoodie said:
Holley had a good point this afternoon. Goodell and the Wells report exonerates the team, Mr. Kraft and BB. So what infraction is the fine and loss of draft picks intended to punish?

This cannot be emphasized enough.
I criticize Kraft for rolling over the 2nd time (2007, 2015) when this 2nd time his team had been exonerated by the league report. How Kraft did not see the TEAM penalties as (1) vindictive and (2) targeted at seriously wounding his team's ability to compete, confounds me.

If as some Kraft apologists theorize there were threats behind the scenes to instead blame BB and out him from the league, Kraft needs to grow a pair and go public with these league machinations. (I don't believe this happened)

PatsDeb · Jul 30, 2015

wolverinejoe80 said:
basically a giant middle finger to nfl in a sad/depressed vibe. feeling of betrayal. he stands by brady and he did all that crap in good faith that there won't anymore crap after it.

he must be pissed that he lost a draft pick and a $ for absolutely nothing.

How could he have been so dumb? None of us are involved in the NFL and we could tell this was going to do bupkiss and make the team look guilty. I am still mad at Kraft. He sold us and Brady down the river and then had the nerve to say he did it for us. Not buying it. I'm sure he's sad and depressed that he doesn't have the pull he thought he had. I just wonder who in the world advised him that doing nothing and just accepting everything the corrupt NFL handed down would some how work out to his advantage? What a joke on top of all the crap.

PatsDeb · Jul 30, 2015

The ONLY way we are ever going to have any impact on what the NFL does is to sacrifice a lot of pain ourselves, and even then, it will be hard to get everyone to do it. We must boycott all the games and all NFL merchandise. Hit them in their pocketbook. Give them a 0.0 tv share in New England, a huge sports mecca and have the stands be emply, or filled with opposing fans. Probably impossible as most fans aren't as mad as me or some of the others on here. There was a pic of the opening of Patriots training camp this morning and you couldn't see the end of the crowd that showed up. As long as the gravy train continues, the NFL and Roger Goodell will continue on their merry way. Sickening.

Tunescribe · Jul 30, 2015

Folks, sometimes with the obvious staring you in the face it can be easy to miss.

THIS is why Bob "apologized" to the fans yesterday: Brady now is going to court, meaning he most likely will be on the field vs. Pittsburgh, meaning Kraft will be spotlighted (likely on the field) for the banner unveiling. Saying/doing nothing beforehand means Bob gets booed out of his own building. Keep in mind this is just over five weeks from now. By at least giving the appearance of contrition over his now-admitted mistakes, Kraft moved preemptively to avoid being embarrassed on national television by his own fan base.

PatsDeb · Jul 30, 2015

Tunescribe said:
Folks, sometimes with the obvious staring you in the face it can be easy to miss.

THIS is why Bob "apologized" to the fans yesterday: Brady now is going to court, meaning he most likely will be on the field vs. Pittsburgh, meaning Kraft will be spotlighted (likely on the field) for the banner unveiling. Saying/doing nothing beforehand means Bob gets booed out of his own building. Keep in mind this is just over five weeks from now. By at least giving the appearance of contrition over his now-admitted mistakes, Kraft moved preemptively avoid being embarrassed on national television by his own fan base.

What can we do to make sure Goodell doesn't show up at that game? I am not showing up either if Brady isn't playing, but assuming he is, shouldn't we start a petition of Patriots Fans to ban Roger Goodell from opening night? It will probably have zero impact on whether he attends, but if we could get 20,000 signatures, maybe our tiny voices will be heard in some capacity, even if it's only to express our anger.

Tunescribe · Jul 30, 2015

PatsDeb said:
What can we do to make sure Goodell doesn't show up at that game? I am not showing up either if Brady isn't playing, but assuming he is, shouldn't we start a petition of Patriots Fans to ban Roger Goodell from opening night? It will probably have zero impact on whether he attends, but if we could get 20,000 signatures, maybe our tiny voices will be heard in some capacity, even if it's only to express our anger.

It wouldn't matter. It's a marquee league event, the season opener. Goodell will be there.

juny · Jul 30, 2015

Fans at TC seem to be forgiving of Kraft, getting loud applause according to multiple tweets

QuantumMechanic · Jul 30, 2015

Hoodie said:
Holley had a good point this afternoon. Goodell and the Wells report exonerates the team, Mr. Kraft and BB. So what infraction is the fine and loss of draft picks intended to punish?

However, it does not exonerate McNally and Jastremski, team employees. And punishing an employer for the actions of its employees is a well-settled, standard legal practice.

The Gr8est · Jul 30, 2015

juny said:
Fans at TC seem to be forgiving of Kraft, getting loud applause according to multiple tweets

Wow, you got a dislike for this post.

Is someone trying to shoot the messenger here?

juny · Jul 30, 2015

The Gr8est said:
Wow, you got a dislike for this post.

Is someone trying to shoot the messenger here?

I'll be OK.
+1,016 / 18 / -3

cupofjoe1962 · Jul 30, 2015

Anyone who bought that too little too late outrage of Kraft the other day was just looking for a reason to forgive Kraft.

It won't be long before Kraft & Goodell are are together again like two peas in a pod, laughing & smiling.

The two apologies to the fans during that statement proves to me that that statement was more damage control for Bob Kraft than support for Tom Brady.

Kraft knows he lost the respect of his core fans & he does not want to be embarrased by being boo'ed in the Stadium he had built.

The ship already sailed & Kraft was not onboard when it mattered.

Let's all forgive Bob Kraft

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